Trust Issues
by Kitty Invictus
Summary: Starts off where season 1 ends. Annie and Auggie both have trust issues. Both have been burned before. Will they be able to let go? Spoilers for anything in season 1. Chapter 10 is up.
1. 1 Snap out of it!

Author's Note:

This one takes place at the very end of Episode 11: When the Levee Breaks. So it basically has spoilers for all of Season 1. I'm thinking it will have specific spoilers for Ep 11 and for Ep 7 Communication Breakdown.

I'm sorry for any resemblance to anyone else's fan fictions, it's completely unintentional. There are some really great fics out there I can't help it if any awesomeness leaks into my brain.

I have a plan for this, (rating is for later chapters) but I'm not sure how long it will end up being. Here's the prologue. I hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: Obviously, if I'm on fanfiction, I don't own this stuff.

* * *

"Ben!" she shouted his name repeatedly to no avail. All she could do was hold him while he died. Time slowed and nothing made sense. She couldn't hear anything; she could barely breath. The world around her was blurry, not real. He was all that existed. She felt his grip on her arm loosen and she knew that they couldn't save him.

This was the man she loved, and all she could do was hold him in her arms while he died. She stayed there frozen as the helicopter landed. Everything was a blur as someone tried to take Ben away from her. She screamed and clawed and fought with them to keep him, until she realized they were doctors trying to help him. But she knew that there would be no help.

Ben was dead. She had finally let him back into her heart only to have him ripped away so suddenly. Someone wrapped a blanket around her shoulders as she heard one of the doctors state "time of death…" she didn't even register the time. Icicles stabbed through her chest.

What did the time matter anyway? He was dead, gone, never to return. This time he didn't just leave her in the middle of the night. He was gone for good. Her heart still pounded in her ears and someone was shouting at her. She didn't respond. She just sat there until they pulled her to her feet.

There was someone in her face shaking her.

"Annie! You have to snap out of it! We need to get Sabine out of here." It was Jai. Something clicked in her. She literally snapped out of it. She pushed Jai away from her. He was the last person she felt like talking to at the moment.

"You take him." She said firmly. I'll find my own way home." He gave her a skeptical look, but her death glare prevented him from asking any more questions.

With that she turned and walked away confidently pulling her cell phone out of her pocket and throwing it at the ground hard enough to smash it.

"Oh and tell Joan I'm taking the rest of the week off." She shouted back to him without turning around.

* * *

I hope that grabbed your attention. I know it's short but I already have more written and it will be up soon.


	2. 2 Be prepared

Author's Note: see chapter one for disclaimer. Etc.

I know I said I had more written when I published chapter 1. But I actually didn't have this chapter written yet. I had the next chapter written. But after publishing the first chapter I realized that I was missing the Auggie side of the story. So I wrote this chapter.

Don't' worry if none of that made sense. It barely made sense to me. Anyway, hope you like it.

* * *

Auggie sat in his office at the DPD. He knew that Annie and Jai could be walking into a potentially volatile situation. He was almost sure of it. He hadn't gotten a chance to meet Ben himself so he was still unsure of whether to trust him or not. But Annie trusted him.

Was that enough? He couldn't stand the thought that Ben might be playing her. She was Auggie's friend, probably the best friend he'd had in a while. He cared about her. He knew how much this was affecting her. She had told him all about Ben, as much as he had told her about Natasha anyway. He couldn't help but feel like a hypocrite though.

Hadn't he done the same thing to Natasha? He'd loved her, lied to her, and stood her up. Then he'd come back into her life suddenly turning it upside down only to play her again for the CIA. He couldn't help but make comparisons to Ben.

He was sure that something had happened between Ben and Annie on the beach in Sri Lanka. How else would they have swapped bracelets? All this craziness with Ben had to be making her think seriously about her position at the DPD. Would she want to go rogue. If Ben asked her would she leave the agency?

A thought struck Auggie. He would help her, whatever she chose. He quickly did a pass of his office with his laser cane to make sure there was no one in the doorway watching him. He carefully brought up a screen and made a few arrangements in case he needed them. He called in a favor from an old special ops friend who happened to be in Sri-Lanka. He had a plan but he would only put it in play if needed. It never hurts to be prepared.

He had just finished with his secret dealings when he heard heals walking across the bullpen. As the sound got closer, he also heard the telltale necklace that signified that it was Joan.

"No word from Sri-Lanka yet; if that's what you're here to ask." He stated matter-of-factly as she came to a stop in the doorway. He hoped that no one had noticed his actions for the last twenty min.

"Send the extraction team in." She stated. "I don't like the fact that we haven't heard from them yet. " They had put a helicopter crew on standby as soon as they got off the phone with Annie and Jai.

Auggie typed rapidly and spoke into a mike. "Extraction team you have a go." He was so glad to be sending help in. He had tried not to worry so much in the last half hour, but he couldn't help hoping that they were okay. Well. At least that Annie was okay. He had never been a fan of Jai. Not that he wanted the guy dead or anything, but he couldn't quite bring himself to worry about the other man.

It was nearly half an hour later when Jai finally called in.

"We've got Sabine. He's asking that we return him to Hong Kong." Jai said over the phone.

Joan was standing in Auggie's cave already. "What happened?" She asked. Jai described everything that had happened in the last hour. Ben had seemed like he was playing them, but he was actually playing Artigas. He explained that Artigas and his henchmen were all dead and that they had gotten Sabine to the helicopter okay. Then he dropped the bomb on Ben being shot and his death.

"Where's Annie?" Auggie couldn't help but ask.

"She's gone." He said simply. "She smashed her cell-phone and told me to tell Joan that she's taking the week off. I don't know if she's going rogue. I couldn't have stopped her if I wanted to. That woman is scary as hell when she's upset."

With that Joan gave Jai permission to set Sabine up with a flight back to Hong Kong. They would keep an eye on him for the next couple of months and make sure he was okay. With Artigas and his henchmen dead the threat to Sabine was gone. When they were done with the phone call, she looked at Auggie.

"You know Annie better than anyone else here. Do you think she'll come back to us?" She asked him.

"I don't know." He lied. Without Ben, Annie wouldn't go rogue. She would take the week off like she said. She would disappear for a week out of defiance against the agency, but she would return to the DPD; at least if he had anything to say about it.

Joan sent him home. As he waited for his car service, he pulled out his cell-phone. He mentally thanked the eagle scouts for telling him to be prepared. It was time he set his plan in motion. He had a feeling someone was going to owe him a sandwich.

* * *

Next chapter you'll find out what Auggie was up to with all his secretiveness. Chapter three will be up soon.


	3. 3 A whole platter of sandwiches

Author's Note: See chapter one for disclaimer etc.

Thank you anyone who "Story Alerted" it is appreciated. Reviews are always nice too. I'd like to know what you guys think. I might have a set plan, but it can always be changed if someone has suggestions etc.

So back to Annie:

* * *

It took a few strange looks from strangers before Annie realized the front of her clothing was covered in Ben's blood. The first thing she did was buy clothing and think of a plan. She decided she would go back to the states. She took out enough cash for a first class ticket home. She was sick of riding coach, even if she was paying for it out of her own pocket. She also bought a pay as you go cell-phone with 20 min on it. She then decided to go to the airport.

The last few days had been crazy. She couldn't believe what she had done, leaving Jai like that, smashing her cell phone. She'd disobeyed orders before, but what she had done bordered on going rogue. Could she go rogue? She would have to disappear; she would never be able to spend time with her nieces. No. She couldn't do that to Danielle. She hated how the agency had used her to get to Ben. It was their fault he was dead. But working for the agency gave her a purpose.

Like she had said to Jai. She was taking the week off. She couldn't deal with Danielle though. Her sister would see right through her. She called Danielle and made some excuse about obtaining art and something about bureaucracy getting in her way. Getting home undetected would be the hardest part though.

It took her a while to get to the airport and while she walked she thought. Her plan was to find someone who looked enough like her and steal their passport.

She was pleased that it was crowded when she got to the airport, but before she had a chance to pick a mark, something happened: A man tapped her on the shoulder. "I'm sorry miss but you seem to have dropped this." He handed her an envelope and walked away disappearing into the crowd. Inside she had found ID, and a passport for an Elaina Stewart with her picture.

She also found a typed note that said, "Uncle Sam doesn't know about this one." Immediately she knew it was Auggie's doing.

* * *

An hour later she was sitting, waiting for them to call her flight. She finally decided to call number she had memorized for emergencies.

She couldn't trust anyone at this point, but if there was someone she could count on it was him. If she were completely honest with herself, she trusted him more than she had trusted Ben, but that wasn't saying much. She hadn't been able to really trust anyone since Ben.

Auggie answered the phone on the second ring. "Annie! Is that you?" He sounded so worried.

"Yes Auggie. It's me. Are you still at the office?" She could hear the relief in his breath, which bordered on a sigh. She also didn't want to say anything about the DPD because there was a woman who was sitting close by. She seemed harmless enough, but Annie assumed that her phone call was more interesting to the woman than the magazine she was reading.

"No. Joan sent me home when Jai called in three hours ago." He reassured her.

"Look Auggie. Thank you for not asking a billion questions. Could you do me a couple of favors?" She knew she would be asking a lot of him. But she knew he would come through for her.

"I take it, you're not in a place to answer questions?" He asked rhetorically. "Of course I can do you as many favors as you want, but remember you still owe me a sandwich. Hell, by the end of this, you might owe me a whole platter of sandwiches." It was nice to hear his sarcasm and wit after the day that she had just had.

"Okay first of all thank you for the present. I won't even ask how you did that." She couldn't figure out how he had managed to get her a secure cover without the agency knowing. She knew it was breaking the rules. "Second is Joan looking for me?"

"The 'present' as you call it wasn't a problem I had a guy that owed me a favor. Joan didn't say anything to me, but you can assume that she's got someone watching your house." He said. "Anything else?"

"Could I hide out for the week at your place. Like you said, they're probably watching the house and I can't deal with my sister right now."

"Of course." He said. "I assume you can't afford a hotel after spending all your money on a first class ticket." He laughed as he heard her gasp in confusion. "You are always complaining about flying coach. I'm only guessing though. I didn't want to check into Elaina's travels in case I was being monitored."

"Thank you Auggie, you have no idea…"

"Annie." He said in a serious voice. "You're coming back alive. That's enough. What time do you land? I'll have a cab waiting."

"Eight-thirty." She told him.

"See you soon."

"Thank you."

* * *

I know it's really short, but I'd rather get short chapters up more often then never post and agonize over long chapters.


	4. 4 Flying home

Author's Note: see chapter 1 for disclaimer etc.

So this one is considerably longer. It is everything I have written though. So it might be a bit longer before I post the next chapter. I have a few midterms this week, but our spring/winter break is next week because of the Canada winter games. Maybe I'll get a chance to get more written then.

Thank you anyone who is reading this so far. Special thanks to Gladius Grim for a review.

All airport names and approximated flight durations etc are as accurate as I could get them. Enjoy.

* * *

Auggie hung up the phone and put it back on its charger. He walked over to his couch and flopped down. He was glad he knew his apartment well enough to flop down on the couch. He couldn't believe that he had just agreed to have Annie stay at his place for a week. He would basically be helping her disappear. Not like he hadn't already done enough by getting her a passport and ID. But having her stay at his place. What was he thinking? What was she thinking? Of course she wasn't thinking the man she loved had just died.

So why had he said yes? He liked Annie immensely, but he wasn't sure exactly what that meant. He wouldn't call it love. Friendship for sure, maybe more than that but not love. It couldn't be. He'd been burned before. He'd left Natasha to be snapped up by the FBI then he'd let her go again.

If being in love meant hurting people, he did not want to be in love. He didn't trust himself enough to fall in love. Suddenly he was nervous about seeing Annie again. What would he do? What was he supposed to say? What does someone say to a person who has just lost the person they love?

A thought suddenly occurred to him. He didn't have much for food. He would have to get some groceries and Annie probably wouldn't have any clothing he would have to get her some. She would have left her bag behind. Jai would bring it back and she probably wouldn't be able to get it back until she went back to work.

He figured he still had nearly 20 hours before she got there. It was early afternoon and with a time difference between Colombo and Washington D.C. of ten and a half hours it would be almost midnight in Sri-Lanka. Joan had given him the rest of the day off because he had been in the DPD overnight working.

He was tired as hell so he sat for five min before pulling himself off the couch and heading out to buy clothing and groceries. The groceries wouldn't be too bad, he knew his way around the local store pretty well and he wasn't afraid to ask random strangers to read labels for him if need be. Clothing would be a little bit harder. He would have to ask what the clothing looked like. He decided to get clothing first then groceries. It wouldn't make sense to have food sitting around until after clothing.

He had his car service drop him off at a strip mall and told them to be back in 45 min. It wasn't that he didn't trust Greg. It was probably just better that Greg not be involved. It wasn't unusual for Auggie to send Greg off while he shopped. Greg didn't seem to mind either; he just went for a coffee or something.

As it turned out there was a really nice saleslady at every store he went to, as long as he stated that he was looking for clothing for a his sister. He'd made the mistake of telling the saleslady in the first store he visited that he was shopping for his girlfriend. She'd lost her friendliness immediately and he could tell that any clothing she recommended would be ugly. It wasn't too hard to guess Annie's size; they got pretty close when they were training, especially that time he'd shown her the takedown.

He also made sure that all the bags they gave him were non descript, he didn't want Greg to see that he'd been shopping at a women's clothing store. He made the excuse to the salesladies that he didn't want his sister to see that he'd bought her clothing.

When Greg returned Auggie asked him if they could go to the grocery store. Greg seemed none the wiser. He must just think that Auggie had been shopping for himself. While Auggie was in the grocery store he asked Greg to wait close by so that he'd be able to head home as soon as he was done getting the groceries, he knew he'd be buying ice-cream and he wanted to get it into a freezer quickly.

When they returned to Auggie's place Greg helped him carry the bags into the apartment. Auggie handed him a five-dollar bill. Normally Auggie didn't tip his drivers, they were paid very well for the job they did for him. But Greg had been very helpful today.

Auggie put all of the food away. He'd bought twice as much as he normally did for a week. He left the clothing, still in its bags, in the corner of the living room. With that he went to bed. He was exhausted.

* * *

Annie was so glad that she'd paid for first class. She was sore enough from the tough day she'd had, but she still didn't sleep. Every time she closed her eyes she could see the glazed look in Ben's eyes. At least when she stayed awake she could distract actively try not to think about him.

The first leg of her flight was twelve or thirteen hours travel time with a quick stop at Male International Airport to Heathrow Airport in London. It was a long time to sit and think. She watched a few movies with headphones on. The other passengers around her were all sleeping. It had been around midnight when they left Bandaranayake Airport in Colombo.

When she got to the airport she was extremely glad that she didn't have any checked luggage. She grabbed a bite to eat in one of the airport restaurants that charged way too much for food. When she was done, it was just about time to get on a new plane headed for Washington D.C.

The second leg of her trip was six or seven hours, but somehow they seemed even longer than the previous trip. She was utterly exhausted. She could barely keep her eyes open. But she refused to sleep. She couldn't wait to get home. Well, Washington D.C. She couldn't go home yet. Joan could find her there and she couldn't deal with Danielle. So she'd be staying at Auggie's. What else could she do? She didn't have the money for a hotel, and she could really use a friend. Auggie was the best.

She wished that she'd fallen for someone more like Auggie the first time around. Instead she'd fallen head over heals for Ben, and he'd left her, twice now. She didn't know if she could ever trust a man with her heart again.

It was three or four hours into the flight when she nodded off not meaning to.

_She was back in the helicopter holding Ben in her arms while he bled to death. She felt his grasp on her loosen and she knew he was fading. She felt a tear slip down her cheek. She was staring at Ben and watched as the light went out of his eyes. Then suddenly it wasn't Ben she was looking at, it was Auggie. He was dead, and she knew somehow that it was her fault._

She gasped as she woke suddenly. The flight attendant had her hand placed lightly on Annie's shoulder.

"You okay hun? Sounded like you were having a bad dream." She said innocently.

"Yeah. I'm fine now, thank you." Annie replied as politely as possible. It was bad enough that she couldn't stop seeing Ben dead in her arms, but now she had that horrible feeling that something bad would happen to Auggie and it would be her fault. She looked at her watch. She'd only slept for half an hour. At least for the rest of the flight she managed to stay awake.

When the plane finally landed, Annie was even gladder than she had been the first time that she didn't have to wait for checked luggage. There was a cab waiting for her just as expected. The cab took her to Auggie's apartment.

"How much do I owe you?" She asked reaching for what little money she did have left.

"No that won't be necessary; it's already been paid for." The cabby said. Annie thanked him and headed into the building.

She didn't know what came over her but she broke out into tears. When she got to Auggie's door she knocked lightly. Trying desperately to stop crying. She was completely unsuccessful.

His door slid open. He didn't say anything just held his hand out to her. She took it and he pulled her into a hug. After a moment, he pulled her further into the apartment to close the door.

"I'm sorry. I don't know why I'm doing this. I didn't mean to cry." She sobbed lightly into his chest.

"You've been through a lot." He said. "Come sit down you must be exhausted." He sat her down on the couch. "I assume you haven't slept at all?" She nodded silently.

"Just half an hour between London and here." She admitted. "I didn't want to sleep. I couldn't." She was still sobbing a little and it came out sounding more pathetic than she had hoped.

"I'll be right back" Auggie said heading for the bedroom. He cursed himself for not thinking to buy Annie PJs. He quickly pulled a pair of sweatpants and a tee shirt out of his own drawer. He brought them out to Annie. "Here you can wear these." He passed her the clothing and sat down on the couch beside her. He wished for a second he could see her just enough to know that she was okay. Instead, he put his arm around her.

"Thank you." She said leaning into him. "Really."

It was Friday though and Auggie had to go to work. He didn't want to but if he didn't go Joan would be suspicious.

"Annie, I have to go in to work." He said carefully. He couldn't gauge her reactions because she wasn't saying much. "I'll be back later and you need to sleep. Take the bed, I don't mind." He pointed in the general direction of the kitchen before continuing. "There's food in the fridge if you get hungry. Just try to put everything back where you find it. And if you have to go out or something I bought you some clothing. I'm had to guess your size and we can only hope that the friendly saleslady was honest when she said it would look good." He helped her up off the couch and pointed to the corner where he'd left the bags of clothing.

"I'll be okay." She said calmly. "You go." She nodded even if he could see her. He was happy to hear the confidence in her voice. So he headed to work.

* * *

Well there it is folks. I hope it was up to snuff. Reviews are appreciated but the important part is that you read this. Thank you.


	5. 5 Distracted and Dreaming

Author's Note: Well I was away from the internet for the week so I guess you get a longer chapter this time. I thought about splitting it into two chapters, but I figured why bother. There is a little bit of T rated-ness. There will be M in later chapters.

* * *

Joan was worried about Auggie. He seemed distracted all day. Obviously he was worried about Annie. She was still missing. Joan already had people watching the Brooks' house, but Annie was smart, she wouldn't come home until she wanted to.

Joan had also put flags on every one of Annie's aliases but Annie was resourceful, if she wanted to get back to Washington D.C. she would. Joan wanted to say as much to Auggie, but she didn't know how he would react. Annie had told Jai she was taking the week off. So Joan was assuming that she would either be back in a week or she wouldn't be back at all.

She felt like she'd gotten to know her newest operative fairly well over the last few months. She hated how they had used Annie to draw Ben out of hiding. If she could go back and do it again, she would have told Annie right from the beginning who Ben was. She didn't think that Annie would go rogue. She had her family to think about and anyone could see the almost relationship forming between Annie and Auggie; except maybe Annie and Auggie.

Joan liked Annie. The rookie agent reminded her of herself at a younger age. The greater good would win out with Annie. But Auggie wasn't taking the whole situation well. He'd been late for the first time that Joan could remember. He didn't have his head in the game.

She decided that it simply wouldn't do. She made her way down to his office.

"What can I do for you today Joan?" He said halfheartedly, not even a hint of smart-ass in his tone.

"Can I see you in my office for a minute?" She asked feeling like a high-school principal calling a unruly teenager into her office.

* * *

Auggie was terrified. Joan knew something was up. He was sure of it.

"No problem." He said standing up to follow her to her office. He couldn't help but think as they walked, that he was going to be in so much trouble for helping Annie. He was so worried that he almost missed the chair in Joan's office. He clumsily sat down hoping that she hadn't seen his mistake.

As he sat there he tried to school his features into a look of nonchalance.

"Auggie." Joan said at last breaking the silence. "I can't help but notice how distracted you've been all day."

This was it, he thought. He was about to get fired or at least suspended. He desperately tried not to look guilty.

"I know you're worried about Annie, but we've done all we can. We've got people watching her house and we've flagged her at the airports. If she comes home we'll find her." Joan said all of this with real concern.

Auggie mentally sighed in relief. Joan had mistaken his distractedness for worry. "Are you sure there's nothing we can do?" He asked playing the worried friend. "Have you checked her banking?"

"We've checked but she took out a lot of cash 30 hours ago and there hasn't been any activity since. She's too smart to lead us to her that way. I've decided other than the precautions we have in place to give her the week off. I'm confident she'll come back to us." Joan smiled at the end, but Auggie could tell that she wasn't sure.

He thought perhaps Joan was just as worried about Annie as he would be if he didn't know that she was sleeping at his apartment at that very moment. He nodded hoping Joan could see him.

"Auggie. How would you like the next week off?" She said out of nowhere. And he looked at her skeptically.

"I guess." He said slowly, suspiciously. "You sure this place can deal without me for a week?" He asked in return. He couldn't believe how much better this meeting was going compared to what he'd expected.

Joan gave a quick chuckle at his remark. "I'm sure we'll manage. You've worked really hard lately Auggie. Just take the time to relax. Don't worry, I'll call you personally if we hear anything about Annie." So there it was. He was free to go. He hadn't been found out and Annie was still safe to take some time off.

He returned to his desk and finished up what he'd been working on and checked again that no one had seen what he'd done the day before. After that he headed home.

* * *

Annie rolled over for the thousandth time. She had gotten some sleep during the day. But it had been restless and full of that same dream in which she not only had to watch Ben die in her arms, but he then turned into Auggie. She couldn't stand the idea that he would be in trouble because of her. But she was staying in his apartment; she was hiding from the government with him. He would be in so much trouble if Joan or anyone found out what he'd done with the passport and ID.

She tried desperately to get her thoughts to quiet down again. She tried counting down from 100. It was something that had always helped her fall asleep. She got down to about 84 when she had a thought. How was all of this affecting Auggie? But she didn't get very far into the thought. She continued counting 83…82…_81…80…79 _

_She was in the helicopter holding Ben. But this time the helicopter landed on a different rooftop. They were at Langley. Suddenly a swat team was surrounding the helicopter. They pulled Ben away from her and he stood up. He was fine with a knowing smile on his face. 'I can't believe she fell for it.' He chuckled to the swat team. They all sneered at her. _

_She couldn't take it. She couldn't believe he was alive and saying something like that. She ran inside and suddenly she was in the DPD walking through the bull-pen but everyone was pointing and whispering to each other. They were all ashamed for her that she'd trusted Ben. She spun around and everyone was watching her, everyone except Auggie. He was at the computer with headphones around his neck typing away._

_She walked into his office. He stood and pulled her into a hug. 'I'm so glad your okay' was all he said. He held her and it was so nice she didn't want to let go. With the whole world against her she knew Auggie was on her side. _

_But then he was kissing her passionately. She didn't pull away. She kissed him back. And suddenly they weren't in the DPD or his office. They were in his apartment. 'I want you.' She heard herself say. And she did. She wanted his hands everywhere she wanted to explore him. At her words, he pulled her shirt over her head and began to stroke her overheated skin slowly with his hands while moving his kisses to her neck and her shoulder. _

_She was lost in the sensations and before she knew it they were both wearing nothing at all. And then they were in the bed and he was driving her wild with his hands and his mouth. She wanted him so badly she begged and pleaded until she was yelling his name._

_But suddenly she was running to the helicopter and he was shot in the back just like Ben had been. And She was holding him in her arms watching him die and yelling his name again and again._

She woke up suddenly unable to breath unable to process the dream. Where had that come from? She rarely had sex dreams and never had she had one about Auggie. They were friends. But wow! It had been a really good dream, until the last part anyway. Sure Auggie was good looking. She would have to be blind not to see that. But they had never ventured anywhere near dating, let alone what she'd just dreamt.

She was still hung up on Ben and he was obviously not over Natasha. She remembered how hurt he'd been after he let her go. He'd been so angry with himself for using her feelings using his feelings. Hell Annie wasn't sure how he was taking it. He'd told her everything about Natasha. But they had never talked much about how he felt about how things ended.

She needed his advice on how to get over Ben. He was probably the most qualified to give advice. Of course Natasha was still alive, but he would never see her again. With that thought, Ben's face flashed through her mind. Every expression she'd seen in their three weeks together and a few from the last week. And the image she could never get rid of. Him in her arms dying, and then Auggie in her arms dying.

She knew it wasn't real. But it seemed so real. She glanced at her watch. Four o-clock. She still had an hour or two before Auggie got home. She decided she wouldn't be getting anymore sleep in that time. She hopped into the shower hoping to vanquish some of the images floating around in her head.

As the water heated her skin though, she couldn't help but relive parts of her most recent dream. She could almost feel Auggie's hands caressing her body slowly and sensually. She shook her head violently. No. No. No. Don't go there Annie. She finished with the shower as quickly as she could careful to replace things exactly where she had found them.

She realized as she dried off after her shower, that she didn't really have anything to wear. Auggie had said something about clothing in a bag. She wrapped herself in a towel and made her way out to the living room to find the clothing. There were two or three outfits in the bags of clothing and miraculously all of them fit perfectly. She wondered how Auggie had guessed her size.

She chose a pair of Jeans and a casual blouse. She made herself a cup of tea and sat down on the couch after making sure again to place things where she had found them. She sat there drinking her tea trying to sort through what she was thinking. She wasn't even sure she had fully accepted that Ben was dead. She knew it was true but she still felt like it had happened in a dream.

By the time she'd finished her tea, her hair was dry and she hadn't really gotten anywhere in her thinking. She had never really dealt with the death of someone close to her before, let alone under current circumstances. She didn't know what she was supposed to feel or think. She didn't even know what she was supposed to do.

She was sitting there holding the empty mug when the door opened. She nearly jumped out of her skin. She was glad that Auggie couldn't see how jumpy she was. She'd been so deep in thought that she'd lost track of time.

"Hi Auggie." She greeted standing up to take the mug to the sink.

"Annie." He smiled. "You're up. How are you feeling?" He walked straight at her moving fluidly through his apartment. She didn't see a cane in his hand he must have left it by the door. She felt awkward standing in his kitchen with him especially after the dream she'd had.

"I don't even know how I'm feeling?" She admitted. She made a decision right then not to lie to Auggie. She would tell him anything he asked. He'd been so helpful and so nice letting her stay with him and everything. The least she could do was be honest with him.

"I can't pretend to know what you're going through, but I don't think there's a rule book. You don't have to feel anything if you don't want to." He said this so calmly and with so much honest empathy that Annie hugged him.

"How do you always know exactly what to say?" She said quietly. She realized quickly though that hugging him reminded her again of her dream. She backed away slowly and she could feel her cheeks heating up. Why did she have to have that dream?

"So how did you sleep today?" Auggie asked.

"Not so good." She replied. She tried desperately not to look at his hands and his lips. She tried not to remember the dream, and instead she ended up remembering the end of the dream, Auggie dying in her arms.

"I'm guessing by the awkward silence that you don't want to talk about it?" He said with the self-deprecating kind of humor that he always had.

"No, it'll probably be good to share. It just might be hard." She said. "With all the traveling I did, I never really stopped to make a whole lot of friends, and I can't tell my sister about this. You're really the only person I can talk to." She couldn't believe she was doing this. But she'd committed herself to telling him.

"Well the CIA does have some very expensive shrinks on the payroll." He said jokingly. It worked though. She laughed.

"Do you think we could eat before therapy?" She asked, changing the subject. "Let me make you something, a sandwich maybe?"

At this he laughed. "No. You can owe me a sandwich later. Why don't _we_ make something that goes better with wine? I have a nice 06 Chianti Classico that I've been saving for emotional trauma. What about Italian? I make a mean spaghetti." He finished with his trademark crooked smile.

"That sounds wonderful." She couldn't help but smile. Auggie was perfect company for when she was upset.

So they spent the next hour making spaghetti sauce from scratch and talking about anything other than Ben. As they cooked, they opened Auggie's bottle of Chianti and each had a glass or two. Annie was so impressed by Auggie. She'd seen him function at work fairly well for someone who couldn't see, but here in his apartment; it was almost like he could see. He was so familiar with his surroundings and so confident in his movements, that she was mesmerized watching him.

When they finally sat down to eat Annie was impressed again at the meal that they had created. Her sister was such a good cook, but Annie had never been exceptional in the kitchen. As they finished up their spaghetti, she finally decided it was time to open up.

"So…" she started unsure how to start. "I've told you all about meeting Ben and the three weeks we spent together and how he left." She guessed that was the best place to start. "How much did Jai tell you?... About Ben's death?"

"He just told us that he had died. He didn't specify." He shook his head and placed his hand on top of hers on the table. How he knew her hand was there, she would never know.

She breathed in carefully letting him give her strength through his simple gesture. She told him everything that had happened in Sri-Lanka and how it had felt to hold Ben in her arms as he died… "And now every time I go to sleep, I can see him I can feel him dying again." She was on such a roll that she barely hesitated to tell him the rest of the usual dream but she did take a second to down the rest of her third glass of wine. "And then He's you. I mean I see you dying in my arms. It's hard enough to lose Ben, but seeing you die too. … It's…" She didn't realize that she'd been crying as she spoke until a tear landed on her plate.

* * *

"It's okay Annie. I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere." Auggie said carefully putting an arm around her. He wasn't sure what to think. Annie had seen him die in her dreams. Did she see the same comparisons that he'd made between himself and Ben? Would she ever be able to trust him if she thought of him as another Ben? Poor Annie. This must be so terrifying for her. Auggie got the feeling that she'd never done this before. She'd never experienced grief, heartbreak maybe but not grief.

He had lost loved ones, but in loosing his sight, he'd experienced grief. It could be suffocating unless you had support. He was so grateful that he could be there for Annie to comfort her however possible. He hadn't realized before that Annie had never talked about good friends outside of work. She really only had her sister, and now she had him.

He made a silent vow that he would do everything in his power to help her through this. But like he'd told her there was no rulebook. There was no telling how she was dealing with this.

He figured it was time for another subject change. "How about some dessert?" He smiled. "I have all the fixings for sundaes."

"Sure Auggie. Sounds good." Her voice still had a hint of sadness, but he could tell that he'd at least cheered her up a little with his suggestion.

As he took things out and began piecing together two deluxe sundaes, she washed the dishes from dinner. He caught himself smiling as he heard her putting dishes away without asking him where they went. Either she had investigated his apartment earlier in the day or she had been paying more attention while they cooked than he had. More likely it was the latter. He knew she was observant, you had to be to do what they did.

There was something so natural about the way the two of them moved around his kitchen together in companionable silence. He was so used to being there alone, but Annie just seemed to fit. He shook his head shaking those thoughts away. She had just lost the man she loved. He had no right to think of her that way.

"What's wrong?" She asked. "You're shaking your head.

He froze, trying desperately to think of something. "Oh I just realized that I'm going to have to buy more chocolate syrup. This is the end of this bottle." He hoped that his lie wasn't as transparent as it felt. He wished for the billionth time that he could see Annie Walker. He knew she was beautiful, that had been apparent as soon as he'd heard other men talk to her. "Just a bit of whipped cream and a cherry, and we'll be in business." He smiled adding the last touches to the sundaes.

"Excellent." She said. She reached past him for her sundae and he moved to pass it to her at the same time. They bumped into each other, both making apologies. But there was something about the touch. Auggie wasn't sure how to classify it. Maybe it was the two or three of wine they had each had. Maybe it was just his imagination, but he'd practically felt electricity.

Suddenly their adept kitchen dance had gotten awkward. He told her to go ahead and turned to get a spoon but as he turned back, he bumped into her again and they had to grab each other to steady themselves again making apologies.

They both stood in the kitchen enjoying their sundaes quietly. When Auggie was almost done, he heard Annie scrape the bottom of her bowl and place it on the counter. Then she did the most unexpected thing. She giggled.

"Auggie." She said still giggling. It was the most adorable sound he'd ever heard.

"What." He was confused.

"You have a bit of chocolate on your cheek." She said with a little less of a giggle. He could tell she was trying not to laugh.

"Oh." He placed his own bowl on the counter and swiped at his cheek hoping to get rid of the chocolate.

"No, it's right here." Annie said. Suddenly she was right in front of him, practically leaning into him. He felt her thumb brush against the opposite cheek of the one he'd tried to clean. He felt it again. It wasn't just his imagination. Something had changed in their dynamic.

He was tempted to do something stupid like lean in and kiss her, but he held back. If he were mistaken she would hate him for it. But her hand had not left his cheek.

Then something miraculous happened. She kissed him. He hadn't been mistaken. It was slow and soft, hesitant even. And then it was over. He felt her back away "I'm sorry Auggie I… I just…" She was about to walk away and he calmly took her hand.

"It's fine." He said. "I almost kissed you myself." What was he thinking? What were they both thinking? Ben was dead. She'd loved Ben. Auggie placed his hand on her cheek and felt it burning. She was blushing. He smiled. "Are you okay?"

"I… I actually had one other dream that I didn't tell you about." She said slowly.

* * *

Author's Note: so there it is: my reading week chapter. I hope you enjoyed it.


	6. 6 Honest Conversation

Author's Note: It's pretty obvious that things are going to happen between Annie and Auggie. But in real life I believe in total honesty in a relationship so this chapter is just conversation. I just really wanted to get it up for you guys because it's finished and because If I included it in the next chapter it would be a really long chapter.

The next chapter will definitely be M rated so stay tuned. I'm just as excited to see how it turns out as I'm sure you guys are.

Thank you again to reviewers and favouriters and subscribers. I'm writing this for your guys.

* * *

Annie took a deep breath. Why had she just told Auggie that she'd had another dream? Why had she kissed him? She was supposed to be getting over Ben. It must be the wine. Maybe she'd had more to drink than she thought.

But no, she wasn't dizzy; she didn't feel drunk. Maybe a bit of a buzz, but not drunk enough to be kissing strangers, not that Auggie was a stranger.

She couldn't believe that she was about to tell Auggie about the dream, but she'd already gone to far. She'd already committed herself to telling him the truth and now she couldn't go back. "Before I tell you, you have to promise things won't be weird between us. You really are the only friend I have right now."

"It was a dream Annie, you can't control your subconscious." He said confused. "I promise, no weirdness." She couldn't imagine what he was thinking right now. How horrible he must think she was to be kissing him so soon after Ben had died.

"Could we sit down?" She looked up at him hoping to gauge his reactions, but she was unsuccessful.

Instead of an answer he touched the back of her hand and held her arm leading her to the couch as if she were the blind one. The gesture was not lost on her. She was glad that he was there to guide her through this.

"Well the dream started the same." She started awkwardly. She felt so childish about all of this. It was like Auggie had said. It was just a dream. She didn't have control over her subconscious. She was glad though that when she paused, Auggie put an arm around her. She settled back into him comfortably and continued.

"Ben didn't die though, there was a swat team that surrounded the helicopter and Ben got out and was joking with them saying something about me falling for it. It felt like they were all laughing at me, and I ran inside, but then I was in the DPD and everyone was pointing and whispering, they were all staring at me… Everyone except you of course."

She had to think carefully about how she explained the next part. She didn't want to seem like a complete pervert or anything.

"I went into your office and you hugged me and said you were glad I was okay… Then… Well you kissed me. But it wasn't like a soft kiss. It was pretty intense. And then suddenly we weren't in the DPD we were here in your apartment. Um… you… I mean we…well let's just say it was memorable and quite vivid. Is it okay if I skip that part of the dream? It's somewhat embarrassing."

"It's okay Annie I… wow we really. Was it… good?… I mean of course it was. Oh shit I mean I'm gonna shut up now. You continue. You don't have to tell me anything you don't want to." Auggie went through a full range of expressions as he said all of this: from caring to disbelieving to cocky and then embarrassed. Annie just found it endearing.

"Well anyway we were you know… but then I was back in Sri Lanka and it was you being shot and I was yelling your name but you were still dying in my arms." As she finished she started to cry a little, it wasn't full out sobbing or anything just a slow stream of tears on her cheeks.

As if he could see her tears, Auggie reached over and wiped her cheek with this thumb. "It's okay Annie. It wasn't real. I'm right here. I'm alive." He was so sweet. Annie didn't know what to do. She was not over Ben, not by a long shot. So why was she doing this? Why had she kissed Auggie?

"Look Auggie." She said quietly. "You're my friend; my best friend. With moving and traveling I've never really had that before. You have no idea how important you are to me, how much all of this means to me. Who else would let me stay at their place while I'm practically on the run from the government?" She laughed a bit at that. "I'm not over Ben, and I can't explain my dream. But I shouldn't have kissed you. I'm sorry." She barely even registered what she was saying. She just tried to be as honest as she could. Auggie deserved at least that.

"Annie. I understand." Auggie said. "I don't think I've gotten over Tosh or Liza. Neither of those relationships ended well. But there was something there just a few minutes ago in the kitchen. You can't deny that. Look it's not just you, I would have kissed you myself if I didn't expect to get slapped for it." He chuckled, turning cocky again. "I'm flattered that you had a sex dream about me. Really." He raised an eyebrow.

"Har har." She responded sarcastically. "I don't know why I had that dream, but we can't do that. Neither of us is ready to deal with romance. We both have trust issues." She couldn't believe she was actually having this conversation with Auggie.

"You're right." He said. "This is not the time for romance." He realized that he was still holding her. He sat back on the couch with his arm still behind her shoulder. "Oh. And Annie."

"yeah?" she responded.

"You're my best friend too. Why else would I be hiding you from the government?" He joked. She was touched at his simple joke.

"Thanks Auggie." She said. "I'm glad I've got you on my side." She leaned over and kissed his cheek.

* * *

Auggie was tired and it wasn't long before both he and Annie were yawning. They'd put a movie on, but barely paid attention to it, talking about all sorts of things, avoiding of course topics such as Ben, Tosh, Liza, and Them.

Auggie was actually quite happy with how things had turned out. He was really, honestly flattered that Annie had dreamt about him. It was good that they had actually talked about it instead of brushing it under the carpet. He dealt with enough secrets all day at work. He could tell that Annie had made a clear decision to tell him the truth. He made that same promise to himself.

He couldn't lie. He was attracted to Annie, he had been since the first day he'd led her on her introductory tour. But neither of them was ready for a relationship. It was just then that he realized the predicament they were in. He hadn't really thought about sleeping arrangements.

"um…" He said as the movie's credits rolled. "I hadn't really thought about sleeping arrangements." He admitted.

"I'll take the couch it's fine." Annie said.

"This couch is really uncomfortable though." He protested. "My bed is huge, I don't mind sharing. As long as that doesn't make you uncomfortable." He hoped she took him up on his offer. He'd napped on his couch before, being too lazy to go to his bedroom, and that had been a mistake. The last thing he wanted was to have Annie stay the week just to end up with permanent back pain.

"I guess we can share." She said hesitantly. "It'll be like all those slumber party's I never went to."

"Maybe later we can braid each others hair." He continued with her joke and was rewarded by her laugh. He quickly stood up and held out his hand. "Let's go to bed."

He pulled her to the bathroom and dug in the drawer for a new toothbrush for Annie. He always kept a few in the drawer in case he had female company, although he hadn't really been on a date since Liza. They brushed their teeth together in silence.

Auggie headed to his room and grabbed two pairs of sweat pants and one tee shirt from the drawer. He passed Annie one set of Pjs and took the other pair of sweat pants for himself, and changed in the bathroom. It wasn't that he was particularly modest, but he didn't want to make things weird for Annie.

When he was done changing he just walked out of the bathroom. Not like it really mattered if she was done changing or not. He realized that he was going to have to do laundry soon, with Annie there, he was going to run out of sweat pants. He could hear rustling clothing so he assumed that Annie was still changing.

"Hope you don't mind, It's not like I can peek." He said.

* * *

Author's Note: So I know this bit of conversations doesn't particularly scream we're about to have sex, but I'm really kind of making things up as I go along. My original plan for this story up to this point was all of three sentences and I've strung it along for six chapters. I'm sorry, but I want it to be at least a little bit believable.

As much as I love it when characters jump into bed together and declare undying love for each other, I can't bring myself to write it.

The next chapter will be M rated. It will be the first M rated thing I've done and I'm trying to strike that balance between not to childish and not to pornographic. Wish me luck.


	7. 7 Sex Ensues

Author's Note:

Well here it is. I know you guys have had to wait a bit on this one. School has been busy and I felt like every time I sat down to write this I couldn't get the right words.

So anyway. Yes. This is the reason this story is M. I'm sure there will be more M in later chapters as well, but I don't know when that will be.

This is the first time I've written M (in fan fiction anyway) so I don't know if it's good or bad, I didn't want to be too clinical or too porn-ish. Let me know what you think. I felt like I had to write this chapter from Annie's side mostly because… well I don't have a penis, I don't know how that side of the equation feels.

I'm gonna shut up now. Here it is:

* * *

Annie nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard Auggie's voice behind her. She had been in the middle of taking her shirt off. "That's okay." She said still keeping her back to him, despite what he'd said. He couldn't see her, but she still felt somewhat self-conscious. She pulled Auggie's tee shirt on, over her head and turned around. She hadn't really thought about the fact that Auggie probably didn't sleep with much on most nights.

And there he was standing across the bed from her in just a pair of sweats. It was quite the enticing image. She caught herself staring and quickly started to pick up her discarded clothing.

"We're going to have to do laundry tomorrow." She said, throwing the clothing into the laundry basket.

Auggie smiled. "I was thinking the same thing. What side of the bed do you want?"

"I'll take this side." She said since she was already on that side of the bed. She pulled down the blankets on her side and crawled in as Auggie turned off the light. It was pitch black, but she realized that it didn't matter for Auggie. He could leave the lights off in his apartment all the time if he wanted to and it wouldn't make a difference.

Annie felt the bed dip and settle as Auggie joined her. "Goodnight" he said quietly.

"Goodnight." She replied. But she didn't know if it would be a good night. From her experience earlier that day, she was looking at a rough night. She tried to quiet her thoughts. But somehow trying to quiet your thoughts never really works simply by telling yourself to stop thinking.

Thoughts swirled and she replayed the last few days over in her mind. Ben in Sri Lanka telling her that she was the most important thing that had happened to him. Had it all been a lie, a ploy to get him to Artigas or had he really meant it? Why would he have kept the bracelet? It was all moot now anyway. He was dead. She brought her wrist up to her face even with her eyes adjusting to the darkness; she couldn't quite see the bracelet she knew was there.

She would have to let him go at some point. At least now he was actually gone. That didn't comfort her though. Not only had she loved him and lost him twice, but this time she'd also watched him die. The heartbreak was familiar, but she had never dealt with grief. She'd never done this before.

She tried desperately not to cry. As much as she knew Auggie was there for her, she already felt like she was imposing way too much. She closed her eyes though, and all she could see was Ben dying in her arms. She couldn't stop the tears from falling. She tried so hard not to sob as well, but she failed and let loose a small gasp.

"Annie?" Auggie whispered and moved towards her on the bed. "You're allowed to cry you know. It won't make me think any less of you." He was right of course. He pulled her to him and she cried for a while. He didn't say anything, just held her until she stopped.

"I'm going to owe you more than a platter of sandwiches." She whispered. It was only then that she noticed how close they were. She was curled into him with her face buried in his shoulder; his bare and very muscular shoulder.

"How about you do my laundry tomorrow and we call it even?" His voice rumbled softly in her ear. She felt it again, that magnetism from the kitchen earlier when she'd kissed him. She placed her hand on his chest to steady herself, even to push away if she needed to, but instead she felt his heartbeat speeding up. He felt it too.

Why did this have to happen to her? Was she in heat or something? She wanted so badly to kiss him, to feel those hands caress her body. But it was wrong, it couldn't happen. Neither of them was ready for a relationship.

"Annie?" he asked somewhat breathlessly. It was so tempting, the sound of his voice saying her name in that tone. It took her a second to realize he'd asked her a question.

"I'll do your laundry all week, but I'm still going to owe you more than a sandwich." She tried to keep the lust she was feeling out of her tone, but she'd been pretty terrible at hiding anything the last couple days. Obviously she'd failed.

"You feel it don't you?" He breathed pulling her closer. His voice was low, intimate, and sensuous. She nodded knowing that even though he couldn't see it, with their proximity, he was sure to feel her movement. His hand had found her hip, just at the bottom of her tee shirt. When he'd pulled her closer, his thumb had accidently found skin.

Even that smallest of touches made her breath catch. "Auggie. We shouldn't be doing this." She tried to reason as much with herself as with him. "It means something that we're not ready for." She was practically panting, trying to keep her breathing even.

But he leaned in closer his mouth right beside her ear, his warm breath on her neck as he whispered: "Does it have to mean anything?" It was the last straw and she let a small gasping moan escape her throat.

"So… friends?" she asked knowing the answer before she finished the question. "But with benefits?" She couldn't believe what she was saying. She couldn't believe she was doing.

"No strings." He confirmed in her ear before shifting slightly to kiss just below her ear as his had roamed upwards under her tee shirt. Annie extended her neck reveling in the sensation Auggie was creating with his mouth.

Using her hand that was still firmly pressed against his chest, she pushed him onto his back with her on top straddling him. She leaned forward kissing him. This was not the soft kiss they'd shared in this kitchen. It was intense and hungry. His hands were on her hips and in her hair. She lost track as her tongue met his. She explored the inside of his mouth and allowed him to do the same.

She wasn't sure how long the kiss lasted, only that she was starved for air and they needed to stop to breath.

"How did I know, you like to be on top?" Auggie said sarcastically as Annie leaned her forehead against his breathing heavily. Before she had time to think of a witty retort, he'd flipped her onto her back and suddenly he was on top. She laughed a little at the move.

Their new position gave her the ability to caress his bare skin that she'd caught herself staring at when he'd first come out of the bathroom. She couldn't see anything, so she had to use her sense of touch. He had the advantage here in the dark.

Her hands roamed his upper body as their tongues dueled for dominance. She was pleasantly surprised at his hitch in breath when she found a particularly sensitive spot on his sides. She lightened her touch allowing only the very tips of her fingers to graze the sensitive area. She continued rubbing in small irregular circles until he groaned with pleasure.

Their bodies separated briefly as Auggie removed her tee shirt and her bra followed. He kissed her collarbone and moved slowly to the newly revealed flesh and towards her left breast. She moaned as he rolled the hardened nipple around his tongue. As he moved to her other breast, his hands continued to move around her body, touching, teasing, and stroking every bit of skin he could find.

She shivered in delight and shifted her hips under his, pressing closer against the hardness she felt there. She considered saying something sarcastic about him being happy to see her but it seemed very inappropriate. As if he knew what she was thinking, he moved up her body kissing her mouth to prevent any sarcasm.

His hand slid under the waistband of the sweat pants she was wearing and lightly glided over her wetness as if in retort to her sarcastic thought. She gasped bucking her hips as he rubbed her clitoris. His ministrations were sending delicious waves of pleasure through her whole body. She unconsciously moved her hips against his hand wanting more.

They broke their kiss to remove both pairs of sweat pants. Annie felt Auggie reach over her to what she assumed was the drawer of the side table. Her eyes had adjusted a bit, but it was still too dark to see much of anything. She didn't care though; this night was about touch. She sat up and distracted him by feeling the muscles in his arms and chest as he tore open the package and rolled the condom over his hard length. She knew he was done as he leaned forward kissing her and pushing her back.

She fell backwards onto the bed with him close behind. He pushed into her without hesitation and they both froze catching their breaths adjusting. Both moaned as they started to move with one another. Their movements were slow and fluid at first as they continued to explore each other's bodies with their hands. Every slow thrust was exquisite, and she could feel every inch of him as he moved in and out.

It wasn't long though before their more primal sides started to take over and their movements became faster and more erratic. Annie could feel herself nearing orgasm, every fevered thrust brought her closer and closer. Her hands had stopped moving, they were placed on Auggie's back pulling him as close as possible as he pushed into her again and again.

She was gasping for breath, her head thrown back, her back arched when Auggie leaned forward pulling one of her nipples into his mouth. She wasn't sure what sort of noise she made as she went over the edge. Her whole body shuddered and twitched as she lost herself in the ecstasy.

Wave after wave of pleasure washed over her as Auggie continued his furious motions within her. She was just barely coming back to reality when she heard Auggie groan and felt the last few Jerks of his body as he finished.

Her body tingled and hummed as they both collapsed together in a tangled heap of exhausted limbs. She felt him shift a little to remove the used condom, she assumed he had a garbage can on his side of the bed because he just reached behind him and dropped it off the side of the bed.

She was barely aware of him pulling the blankets up over them as she caught her breath. "Wow." She whispered sleepily and snuggled closer to Auggie.

"umm hmm." He mumbled his agreement. He sounded as sleepy as she felt.

She drifted off to sleep and for the first time in the last few days, her last thoughts had nothing to do with helicoptrs or people dying. She sighed dreamily and fell asleep.

* * *

Author's note: I'm going to bed now. If only I had my very own Auggie to hold :(

What did you think? let me know. 3


	8. 8 Coffee and Bacon

Author's Note:

Hey look I'm back. I actually managed to get myself to write more. I'm soooo sorry that it took me so long. I've been crazy busy this summer with work and a summer course. Then with classes starting again I feel like I don't have time to breath anymore. I've been writing this chapter little bits at a time.

* * *

Peaceful warmth surrounded Annie as consciousness took hold. Her head rested lightly on Auggie's chest, his arm wrapped around her, their bodies pressed intimately together under the blanket. She could tell he was still sleeping. His breathing was so even and he was so still. She could feel his steady heartbeat. His chest and arms were solid muscle under soft flesh. For a moment she had almost thought she was with Ben.

She opened her eyes for the first time since waking up, and she looked up at him carefully trying not to move too much and wake him up. It was Auggie for sure. Ben was dead. Gone forever. In another world, this could have been a romantic moment. But this was Auggie, her best friend. The man she'd thought was the love of her life was gone. She would never have this moment with him.

Annie had slept with guys before without being in a relationship. She had fun with her Tae kwon do instructor back at the farm, but Auggie was different. This whole situation was different. She was spending the week in his apartment hiding from the government. She still wasn't quite sure if the night before had been a mistake. It had certainly been fun. It had felt great to let off some steam and get a good night's sleep; but she was still unsure how to deal with the morning after.

She carefully extracted herself from the tangle of limbs and blankets, and made her way to the bathroom. A hot shower was the best place to think things through. The hot water felt glorious on her skin.

It reminded her of the rain in Sri Lanka, and Ben. Dead. She took a few moments in the shower to relax she tried to stop thinking about what had happened to him. She couldn't.

When she left the shower, she realized that she hadn't grabbed anything to wear. Well. It wasn't like it really mattered if she wore clothing at all. Not like she had to feel awkward if she was naked in his apartment.

She quietly circled the bed and picked up the pjs she had barely worn the night before. She also picked up the sweat pants that Auggie had worn and tossed them into the laundry hamper. She would get to the laundry later in the day. It wasn't like she had anything urgent to do for the rest of the week.

Her stomach growled informing her it was time for breakfast. It didn't take her long to have coffee brewing and bacon frying on the stove. The coffee finished first and she poured herself a cup. She always loved how long bacon took to fry, it allowed for some contemplation of the day to come. She took a long sip of coffee and closed her eyes breathing in the smell of bacon.

"It's a great smell isn't it?" Auggie said behind her making her jump.

"Jeese. Auggie you scared the crap out of me." she said hitting his arm. "You're like a friggin ninja." She said turning around to face him.

"Coffee and bacon, not exactly the healthiest breakfast." He continued. "Yes, I've been told that I'm light on my feet. Probably because I know my way around the apartment." As he said this he grabbed a mug out of the cupboard and deftly poured himself coffee.

Annie was somewhat disappointed to see that he was wearing a t-shirt. She had quite enjoyed the view the night before.

"It's kind of mesmerizing watching you do that." Annie said. It was true. She was always impressed with his adeptness in his apartment. "Oh. And I _was_ going to make something else, I was just waiting for the bacon before getting anything else started."

* * *

Auggie was surprised at how comfortable he and Annie were with one another while cooking breakfast that morning. He'd expected some awkwardness after what had happened. They ate in relative silence and it wasn't until they were cleaning up that Annie spoke.

"So are we gonna talk about what happened?" She asked putting her hand on his arm. There was a tone of amusement in her voice.

"Well. Are you okay with it?" He was really hoping he hadn't overstepped any bounds. They were both hurting, "I just want to make sure we're on the same page." He turned to face her wishing again that he could see her, know her reactions.

"I'm good. I mean: I know it's a bad idea, we both do. But I'm okay that it happened." She said. She had put into words pretty much what he was thinking.

"Same here." He said. "It's like eating junk food. You know it's bad for you, but sometimes you just crave it." He smiled at the thought.

"So I'm like a twinky?" She said suggestively stepping closer to him, placing her hands on his shoulders as if challenging him. He in turn rested his hands on her hips pulling her even closer.

"Oh you are a very, very good twinky." He said quietly reveling in their closeness, remembering how wonderful she'd felt beneath him on the bed. Then suddenly he stepped back breaking the spell. "But." he said seriously. "There is a time for twinkies and a time for doing dishes." He turned back to the clean up.

Annie laughed a little "Of course." She said. "If the dishes don't get done, you wouldn't know where anything was. You would loose your ninja abilities." She went back to helping clean up.

After a few minutes of cleaning, it was Annie who spoke again. "We need rules, protocol." She said.

Auggie laughed. "This from the woman on the run from the CIA." He smiled. "I do agree however. We need boundaries."

"No nicknames, no babe, no sweety, none of it." Annie replied.

"No dates." He said. "If we eat dinner or get a drink at the pub, it'll be like before."

"No fighting, no head games." She continued.

"We can't ever let it get in the way of work." Auggie said in all seriousness. "It has to be completely separate. If anyone found out, they could figure out that I hid you this week." He knew it had to be said.

"Work. Oh god... They'll know Auggie." Annie said. "They're all trained to see it. I didn't even think..." She stopped.

"It'll be okay Annie. They won't know. They'll all be walking on eggshells around you. They won't know how you're going to behave." He re-assured her. He was sure he was right. He still wasn't sure what to expect from Annie at this point. He had heard her crying in the shower that morning when she thought he was still asleep. He knew she had to grieve and he knew she didn't want to be a burden to him.

A long moment passed and they went back to cleaning. Auggie thought hard about a way to cheer things up. Normally he had a joke ready to go. He decided that honesty would be the best way to make her feel better. When they had finished cleaning up, he turned to her.

"Look Annie. Since I lost my sight, I haven't had many close friends. I can hear it in people's voices, they all feel sorry for me. But you, you didn't even ask about it." He gave a quick chuckle. "You just wanted to know about my cool headphones. Since that first day when I gave you a tour, I knew you were different. I might be the only person you can talk to, but you're the only one I can talk to. We'll figure this out. We're both hurting, it's only natural to seek comfort."

"Thank you Auggie." She said quietly. "We will figure it out."


	9. 9 Better than doing laundry

Author's note:

I know it's been absolutely forever since I posted, but I bought season 1 on dvd recently and I finally got the umph back to work on this and seeing the end of season two helped too. Not to mention the story alerts etc. Reviews are always good too.

I don't get a whole lot of free time during the school year so this has been really slow.

Now that I've seen what happens in the show. I might mirror some events of season two but with my own spin on things. If I mention season two episodes, I'll be sure to mention it in the author's note in case there are spoilers.

This chapter ended up being kind of long. but I got so into writing it that I couldn't stop. hope you like it. lots of M material in this chapter.

* * *

Despite all of their efforts and honesty Annie could still feel a little bit of awkwardness between them. Sex screws things up. That is a truth universally acknowledged right there. They both realized that what they had done, what they planned to do, was wrong. But it felt so right. How could something that felt so good be so wrong?

Annie's dream had come nowhere close to the real thing. The images and sometimes feelings of a dream could never come close to that. Sex with Auggie had been spectacular and they'd as much as agreed to do it again. It wasn't very long after they had eaten and cleaned up after breakfast that Annie realized they quite literally didn't have to do anything for days. Well she had an idea about what they could do. With the idea, she felt her cheeks warm up.

They had slept in fairly late and it was already getting late into the morning before they finished cleaning up. Auggie had gone to shower and Annie made the bed. She had decided early on in the day that she wouldn't bother getting dressed. Auggie's sweat pants were so comfortable.

She didn't care if she looked dumpy that day; who would see anyway? Still, she thought, even if Auggie could see, she would have stayed in sweats. When Auggie came out of the bathroom dressed in sweats and an old band shirt she knew she'd made the right choice of apparel for the day.

"Well..." Annie said, Unsure of how to proceed with the day. She didn't really want to spend the entire week cooped up in Auggie's apartment, but she didn't really want to risk being spotted either. "I should repay you; start getting that laundry done." she scanned him for some reaction, but he seemed unconcerned.

"I have to check my email really quick the we'll get right on that." he said sitting down at the computer and powering it up.

"No. You stay there," she said sternly. He was making it hard for her to repay him. She didn't know if she would ever be truly able to pay him back for everything he'd done. "I'll get this done... I assume your washing machine is through here," she opened a closet door she hadn't looked in yet to find the logically placed washer and drier right where she had guessed.

"I'm going to assume you found it." He said, reminding her that he didn't know what closet she'd just opened.

While he sat at the computer, he could hear her moving around the apartment picking up dishcloths and anything else that needed washing. It wasn't long before he heard her start to place things in the washer. He assumed she'd divided the wash into darks and lights.

"I'll be doing darks first." Annie said as if she could hear his assumption. Auggie filed that information away for a little while. A mischievous plan coming to mind, but he would wait until the first load was washed before revealing his plan.

He could hear rustling as Annie quickly finished filling up the washer, added some detergent. He even heard the deliberate pause after she closed the lid and before she hit start. He knew she was re-checking to make sure she had all the settings right. He was surprised at how in tune he was with her movements in his apartment. It wasn't often that he spent any amount of time with someone else in his space.

Usually when he slept with a woman, they would barely get past coffee in the morning before he found some excuse for her to leave. He found though, with Annie, he didn't mind her invasion of his world.

Once the washer had started, he looked over in Annie's general direction sensing her gaze on him. "I've finished checking my email; nothing too important in the old inbox today. Would you like to check anything?"

"Nope." She responded resolutely, "If anything I'm going to avoid it like the plague this week."

He let out a soft chuckle at her response. "So, what _would_ you like to do today?" He said getting up from the computer after putting it to sleep. "I have a few movies we could watch." He said. And he could practically hear the gears turning in her head. "They're movies I'd seen before Iraq. With some of my favourites, I can hear them and remember most of what's going on visually." He explained, saving her from asking the question he knew was on her mind.

"A movie sounds great," she said.

Auggie let Annie decide on the movie, and she joined him on the couch. Without discussing it, they huddled together at one end of the couch. Auggie didn't pay a whole lot of attention to the movie. He was altogether too aware of the woman who leaned into him comfortably in the couch. He let his thoughts wander to the night before. It had been intense. Her skin was as soft and smooth as he'd imagined it would be.

He had to admit to himself. This week was not the first time he'd thought about her soft, smooth skin. Every time they had sparred or practiced take downs, he'd thought about what it would be like to get her in bed. He was a guy, and she was a very sexy woman, he couldn't help it. He had never expected things would turn out the way they had.

* * *

Halfway through the movie, the washer stopped and Annie hit pause on the remote. "I should go change the loads." Started to get up, and Auggie got up with her.

"I'll help," he said, but Annie wasn't sure what he planned to help with. She turned to look at him and they bumped into one another.

"It's fine." She insisted. "I can get it."

"But there are a few more things that need to go in the next load." He said quickly, a smug smile on his face. Annie couldn't figure out what he meant, she had already checked the apartment for laundry.

"I already checked," she said looking around confused. How had she missed something? She had even gone as far as grabbing the dishcloths to be washed. "Where?" she asked. She put her hands on her hips in frustration and walked towards the laundry closet.

Auggie followed her. "Oh nothing much." He smiled as he spoke "just a few pairs of sweats." he said. "If I remember correctly you said you were doing darks earlier. I didn't mention it till now cause I guess they count as lights."

"Oh?" She said, turned and took a few steps towards the direction of the bedroom. "I thought I already grabbed them all." As she turned back around she realized Auggie was standing right behind her with an almost predatory look on his face. She didn't know why, but she felt the compulsion to back away. He followed her though step for step, remaining in her personal space until her back reached the wall just outside his bedroom and they stood inches from one another.

"I meant these." He placed his hands on her hips, letting his fingers rest at the waistband of the sweatpants. He stared blindly into her face.

"Oh—" It clicked for Annie when she understood his meaning. She also understood his hungry look. He wanted her. She wished that he could see so that he could know the hunger was reflected in her eyes. She leaned back against the wall and put her hand on his shoulder, not quite pulling him in. "Well we mustn't forget any of the clothing." She said.

"Annie." His said in a husky but serious voice. "Are we really going to do this?" He said pulling her flush against him so that she could feel the fact that he wanted her. "Use each other for sex?"

"Well..." Annie said diplomatically. "You are really the only person I'm not required to lie to." She leaned forward and kissed him, nipping at his lower lip a little bit with her teeth. The awkwardness of the morning had all but disappeared. Annie had the overwhelming feeling that this was going to be better than the night before. She wanted Auggie to tear her clothing off and take her right there against the wall.

As if he could read her mind he stepped them both closer to the wall and pushed harder, grinding his hips against hers. "I hate lies," he almost growled as his started to kiss her jaw and her neck. As he did this he felt around for the edges of the shirt she was wearing. "I never told you this," he said starting to work the fabric up over her taut stomach and her silky smooth skin. "When we first met, I thought I'd have you in bed within a week."

They both chuckled a bit at the thought.

"What stopped you?" She asked loving the way her stomach jumped as his callused fingers ran over her skin.

"I have no idea," he said shaking his head. "Maybe I needed a friend more than a good lay." He pulled her shirt up over her head and was about to throw it, and Annie stopped him.

"Lights go over here." She walked him over to the pile of light clothing and he dropped the shirt before allowing her to pull his off as well. She stopped to admire his well-sculpted torso. "I should get the first load into the dryer," she said, remembering the task they had gotten up to do. She started to open the lid of the washer.

"It can wait, we have all week to do laundry," he said roguishly, closing the washer and lifting her so that she was sitting on the edge and he was standing between her legs. "There are more interesting things to do right now."

"We could finish the movie we were watching?" she said sarcastically pulling him closer with her legs.

"I wasn't really paying attention to it anyway," he admitted looking at her significantly. "I was a little bit distracted by certain thoughts."

"Well then, I guess that settles it." She put her arms around his neck and slid off the edge of the washer, sitting on his hips as he walked them backwards in the direction of the bedroom.

They didn't get far before Auggie pressed Annie against the wall again kissing her fiercely.

He turned them around and she slid languidly down his body to the ground. He groaned into her mouth. She stepped back just enough to start sliding his sweatpants down over his hips. The night before had been dark, and she had not been able to see much. Now, in the middle of the afternoon, she was pleasantly surprised with when he shimmied the rest of the way out of his sweatpants.

Completely understanding her pause for what it was, he smiled knowingly. "Like what you see?" He smirked at her confidently.

"Do I detect a hint of modesty?" she said flippantly. Blushing at the fact that he could read her so well. Frustrated with the fact that he kept getting the better of her, she decided to do something unexpected, to see if she could throw him off his game. Maybe she could get the advantage for once.

Without giving him any warning, she dropped to her knees in front of him trailing her hands down the backs of his legs. She slowly pulled his erection into her mouth circling her tongue and sucking lightly. She was pleased when he gasped in response and leaned back against the wall to brace himself. She thought to herself as she continued her slow movements, 'Annie 1, Auggie 0.'

She seemed to have completely caught Auggie off guard and she was glad. It wasn't long before she elicited a moan of pleasure from him.

"Annie," he said breathing heavily. "If you keep doing that," he sighed and groaned, "things are going to end sooner rather than later." he struggled to get the sentence out.

She gave one last long suck before letting him go with a small popping noise. That earned her a pleasant grunt.

Auggie extended a hand and pulled her to her feet and back to his mouth. Her tongue pressed into his mouth and circled his tongue emulating her previous activity. They continued their slow progress towards his bed without separating. As they moved he slid her sweatpants over her hips as she had done for him, and she walked out of the pants as they went.

They bumped into a dresser having gone too far in one direction and something fell off onto the floor with a thump. Neither made any move to pick it up. Auggie unhooked her bra and quickly pulled the straps off her shoulders placing fast kisses in their place; first the right shoulder, then the left, making sure to caress every bit of skin he revealed as he went.

Her hands were buried in his hair and his had made their way to her hips by the time they bumped into the side table by his bed. Annie knowingly reached into the drawer and pulled out the small wrapped package she knew was in there.

It was Auggie's turn to bury his hands in her hair to keep some contact while they separated long enough for her to unroll the condom onto his length. As she bent her head a little to see what she was doing, he inhaled deeply smelling his own shampoo in her hair.

As soon as she was done, she pushed him back onto the bed. Not to be outdone, he grabbed her hand and pulled her down on top of him while scooting further back on to the bed. He had lost his chance to flip them over though because she had used his own actions to pin him down, holding his wrists against the bed.

She lowered herself down onto him, going tortuously slow. She lifted her hips and repeated the process chuckling when he practically growled at her.

"You are something else. Aren't you Miss Walker?" he said, secretly enjoying the fact that they seemed to be having a bit of a competition. He really didn't care who won, because as far as he was concerned, it was a win, win situation.

"Of course I am, Mr. Anderson," she mocked him continuing at her excruciating pace.

When she absently let go of his wrists, he grabbed her hips pulling her down hard on him, bucking his hips at the same time, causing a gasp from both of them. He continued to hold her hips as she rode him hard moving more quickly now.

Both of them gave up their control and just moved together letting their bodies direct their motion and speed. As they continued their movements, they rolled a few times and lost track of time as they pressed desperately against one another.

Annie's first orgasm hit while she was on top gripping Auggie's shoulders. He felt her muscles clenching around him, he felt her hands dig painfully into his shoulders, and he felt her pace start to slow. He quickly took over the pace, repeatedly pushing up into her and pulling her hips down with his hands hoping to help her along.

He was rewarded with a strangled, moan as he continued to move and she rode out the waves of pleasure. The way her body rippled around him, he was surprised that she hadn't pulled him over as well.

He flipped them over and kept moving a little slower until she came back to her senses. When she did, she pulled his head down to hers kissing him and reveling in his ability to keep it together through that. They wordlessly moved on, not needing to verbally acknowledge the event, but both recognizing that it had been excellent.

They fell into a steady rhythm after that until they both neared the end and in a frenzy of rapid, desperate movement, Annie's second orgasm and her clenching, pulling muscles brought Auggie to the end. They collapsed together, then, in a sweaty heap of tired limbs and heaving breath.

After a long moment of rest, Annie swallowed, her body tingling and her throat dry and raw, had she screamed at the end? She didn't know. She looked at Auggie beside/on top of her in the bed. He looked how she felt: exhausted and very pleased.

"Well," she said, still a little out of breath. "Definitely more fun than doing laundry or watching a movie."

"Agreed," he said removing the condom and rolling over to drop it into the garbage can. Annie was amazed that he knew which end of the bed was up, because she could see and she wasn't even sure.


	10. 10 Going Back

Here it is folks: Chapter Ten. (We made it to the double digits. woot!)

I swear I intended this story to be like 5 chapters max... but the first three sentences of my original plan were as follows:

1. Ben dies in Sri Lanka, and Annie goes rogue (sort of)

2. Annie uses her get out of jail card and calls Auggie who lets her stay with him.

3. Sex ensues.

And that took 9 chapters. So it looks like we're all in this for the long haul together. Once my classes are over, I should be able to get more written. I've refined my plan a little, but I do have a plan.

This chapter is so long because you guys deserve a long chapter. Thank you everyone who reviewed and alerted. It really does encourage me to write more.

Okay let's get to it.

* * *

"Wow," Annie sighed contentedly laying back on the floor between the couch and the tipped over coffee table. She breathed heavily after the latest round of mind-blowing sex with Auggie. They had spent the better part of the week helping one another to forget about all the shit they had going on in their lives. There was none of that initial awkwardness left in their sexcapades by this point, but a hint of doubt still floated around in Annie's peripheral consciousness.

She'd seen the movies; this kind of thing never worked out. She wasn't even really sure if this "_Friends with benefits_" thing would work between them. She did know that this _thing, _whatever it was, was helping her to not think about Ben.

_Ben... holding up the bracelet telling her she was the most important thing that had happened to him... Ben's tear stained note "The truth is complicated... Forgive me." ... Ben running to the helicopter an the shock and pain in his eyes as the gunshots sounded... the doctors trying to revive him..._

Well, she was lying to herself a little bit. She had thought of Ben more than she would have liked, but Auggie could make her forget for a little while and dull the pain the rest of the time. She couldn't believe Joan and Arthur had used her to draw him out.

She almost wished she had never been pulled from the farm early. Would she have eventually gotten a position at the DPD? Without Ben's first betrayal, would she have ever even applied for CIA training? Would she have met Auggie, Jai, Stu, any of them? Would she still be traveling alone, or maybe with Ben?

She loved her job though. She hated the lies and the secrets, but she really did love going out there every day to stop bad people from doing bad things.

"Contemplating tomorrow?" Auggie asked from beside her on the floor, pulling her out of her thoughts.

"Yeah," she responded noncommittally, rolling on her side to look at him. He was certainly good looking, and man, did he know it. She smiled at his cocky grin. How did he always manage to get inside her head so well? Wasn't she supposed to be a crafty super spy?

She gestured towards their bodies. "I was just trying to decide what to wear, I don't think Joan would appreciate my current fashion choices." She said dryly.

"I happen to like your outfit right at the moment," He said, "Even if I can't see it, I know it looks good on you. You should wear this to work every day."

"Har, har," she said sarcastically. "Well, I should probably call Joan soon. Let her know that I'll be back into work tomorrow if she takes the surveillance off by tonight. I wonder where she thinks I've been all week?"

"Well I'm thinking the lack of tanned skin will exclude beaches," as he said this Auggie trailed his hand over her shoulder lightly as if he could actually see her tanned skin, or rather, lack there of. It wasn't that she was particularly pale, but Auggie was right. If she'd spent the week in Sri Lanka, on a beach somewhere, she would probably have more of a tan.

"We'll just have to leave her wondering, I guess," she said, secretly doubting that Joan didn't already know where she'd spent the week and whom she'd spent it with. Annie somehow felt that Joan would have eyes and ears everywhere. But she trusted that she and Auggie had been careful enough not to be caught. Annie didn't care so much about what consequences her impromptu vacation would have on her. She did wonder though, if Joan found out, how much trouble would Auggie be in. He had as much as used agency resources to sneak her out of Sri Lanka.

She didn't know how she would ever repay him for that, for any of it. Annie got up and righted the coffee table that they had knocked over. She began getting dressed in sweats and a loose t-shirt which she found draped unceremoniously across various pieces of furniture in the living room. It didn't feel quite right to talk to Joan while naked. As she dressed, Auggie stayed where he was, sitting up and leaning against the couch with a self satisfied look, as if he was actually watching her get dressed.

"I wonder if she'll keep her promise and keep me informed?" Auggie said. He leaned back imagining the visuals that would accompany the sounds of fabric rustling that he was hearing. Now that he had explored every part of Annie's body, he could better imagine what she looked like. He refrained from commenting on the fact that she was getting dressed to make a phone call, because he knew if he said anything he was likely to get a pillow or something thrown at him.

"Well," He heard her take a deep breath. "I'm going to make the call." He knew Annie was nervous to go back. He knew she was worried that everyone would know and he would get in trouble for her. He knew that, there was a small chance of any of that happening. He knew exactly how people would react to her being back. They would all walk on eggshells, they would all be so worried about her that not a single one of them would think twice about where she had been for the week.

He heard Annie's voice coming from the other bedroom, all business talking to Joan. Joan might notice Annie's lack of a tan, but he knew Joan well enough to know that whatever Joan was thinking, she would keep it to herself. The farthest she would go would be to tell Arthur off the record.

He decided that he should get dressed as well. He felt around for clothing and grabbed a pair of sweat pants to put on. When he grabbed a t-shirt off the floor, he caught a slight scent that was purely Annie. This must be the shirt that Annie had been wearing earlier; she must have grabbed his shirt instead. It wasn't as if the two shirts were much different. Auggie was pretty sure, between the two of them, they had worn every pair of sweat pants, and every t-shirt he had at least once each.

He lifted the shirt closer took a deep breath through his nose. Annie hadn't worn any of her regular perfumes all week, but there was something about the scent that he had always been able to identify beneath the perfumes. He did love Joe Malone Grapefruit though and he was glad when she wore it. It complimented her well.

He shook himself from those kinds of thoughts and pulled the shirt over his head quickly. He couldn't think like that if this was going to work between him and Annie. He chalked it up to the most resent round of excellent sex they'd just had. They were friends, they just happened to have great sex together. It didn't have to change things. They needed this right now what ever it was.

Neither of them was emotionally stable. Hell, her ex had just died, and he had to deal with the fact that he would never see Tosh again. If they wanted to use each other for stress relief or to forget about things for a bit, what was wrong with that?

Auggie had just started to fix the couch cushions when Annie came back into the room.

"How did that go?" he asked.

"Not bad. I didn't really give her much of a chance to speak. I figure, I'll let her berate me in her office tomorrow. I basically just asked her to take the surveillance off so I could get home and have a good nights sleep before returning to work tomorrow." He heard her let out a breath, he imagined her running her hand through her hair. "I'll wait till she calls you to give you the news before I head home. How long do you think it will take for her to call off the watchdogs?"

"I think—

Before he could say what he thought, the phone started to ring. "_Joan_" said the electronic voice on his phone.

"You should answer that," said Annie.

Auggie picked up the phone and hit talk. "Joan." He put some enthusiasm into his voice as if he didn't already know why she was calling. "Any news?" He tried to sound worried and excited.

"Yes Auggie. She just called in. Seems you were right; she'll be in tomorrow," Joan responded, Auggie couldn't quite tell whether she was angry or relieved.

"Where is she? Is she okay?" he asked quickly, knowing she wouldn't have an answer.

"I don't know much. She was on a burner phone, and the trace only had time to narrow it down to somewhere in the DC area. She sounded okay, and she asked me to call off all surveillance we have looking for her so she could return home tonight. In about half an hour, I'll have it all called off, and it seems our flags with transportation were useless if she's already in the city."

"Thank you Joan," he said sincerely, and hung up. He put the phone back in it's charging station, and thought for a moment how he would actually feel if he'd spent the week not knowing where Annie was. It was a frightening thought.

"You okay?" Annie asked. "What did she say?" Annie was worried for a moment that Joan wasn't going to call off surveillance and she would have no way sneaking home. The look on Auggie's face was strange, sort of worried and thoughtful.

He snapped the look off his face and replied, "Everything's fine, and she's doing what you said."

"Then what was that look?" she pushed. She knew he would be honest, and she was curious.

"I was just thinking how that phone call would feel if it was really news," he admitted. "And I realized something."

"What's that?" she was full of questions wasn't she.

"If it were real, I wouldn't wait for tomorrow to see you, and Joan knows it. If she does keep someone watching your sister's house, as I expect she will, she will expect me to go see you. If I don't she'd know something is up."

"You're right." Annie smiled. "Well you'll just have to come visit later. Danielle thinks I've been held up by bureaucracy so you can bring over some fake paperwork or something that absolutely has to get done tonight." She knew that Danielle would believe it. She worked all sorts of weird hours, why couldn't others who worked at the _Smithsonian_.

"Sounds like a plan," he said. "In the meantime, Joan said it would be about half an hour."

"Well, I'm going to have a shower, and get dressed in something a little more appropriate." She said. She thought she saw a little flash of hope or lust cross Auggie's face. She wasn't quite sure. Was he thinking about her in the shower, or was he hoping to join her? Showering together was something they hadn't done yet. It seemed a little too coupley for what they were going for with their non-relationship. They hadn't talked about it, but they had silently agreed up to that point that showering together was to too far.

She couldn't even explain the reasoning, but some limits had to be set. They had already done the cuddling thing that first night, and that had seemed too far as well. Since then, cuddling after sex had been strictly off limits to avoid awkwardness.

He had comforted her a few times by holding her when she cried over Ben, but that had been on the couch and completely unrelated to sex. The lines were starting to blur though. She didn't want to screw this thing up. So, it was best that she showered alone, and that she would be leaving after that. She trusted Auggie to get her home after missions, and she trusted him enough to tell him the truth, but she couldn't trust him with her heart. She'd been hurt too many times by Men, who claimed to love her. She didn't know if she could ever trust a man not to hurt her, not to use her like that. If she allowed her self to feel for someone, it would only give them power to use her.

* * *

Auggie mentally slapped himself. What was he thinking? First smelling the shirt she'd been wearing, then thinking about what he would do if he didn't know where she had been, and now thinking about showering with her. What was wrong with him? They were friends, nothing more.

Maybe it was the fact that their week was over. Maybe he was still on the rebound after Liza and Tosh. Whatever it was, he decided that those kinds of thoughts could get him in a lot of trouble. He wasn't worthy of a woman like Annie. He used women to get intel. He had used Tosh. He had used Liza. He couldn't do that to Annie. He couldn't let himself feel things for her, because in the end, he would only end up hurting her like he had hurt others, and like Ben had hurt her.

He couldn't trust himself to not hurt her. He couldn't make assurances that his job would not force him to hurt her. So it was best if he didn't feel those things.

He wouldn't deny that they were close friends and that they both happened to be very attractive people who had great sex together, but that was all it could ever be.

When Annie had showered, packed up and left for home, he decided to have a shower himself. He got dressed in something a little museumier, cleaned up his apartment, and did one more load of laundry. He gave it a few hours before calling his driver and heading over to Annie's house with a file full of fake documents that she "needed" to go over for tomorrow.

When he got there, he told the driver to return in half an hour. He knocked on the front door and Danielle answered. "Oh, This is unexpected," She said surprised. "Auggie was it? I guess you're looking for Annie?"

"Yeah," He smiled charmingly. "Boss needs her to go over these documents tonight." He held up the folder sheepishly. "Our work is never done—

Chloe and Katia who quickly attached themselves to his legs interrupted him. "Oh I remember you, you work at the museum with Aunt Annie," Chloe blurted.

"Yes I do." He patted her on the head. "I just needed to drop something off for your Aunt."

"That's enough girls," Danielle said in full mother mode. "Back to your homework." She turned back to Auggie. "Follow me I'll take you to the guest house." She led him out the kitchen door and up a small set of stairs.

* * *

Annie had been waiting for the knock, knowing that Auggie would come to see her. Danielle had escorted him right up to her guest house. When she opened the door she acted surprised. Auggie explained again the file that he had. As much as Annie could tell that Danielle wanted to stay and talk, she had to help the girls finish up their homework and get them to bed. Her sister left to get to her mothering, but Annie knew that Danielle disapproved of Annie's weird work conditions and she would no doubt have something to say about bringing her work home with her.

Once Danielle had left, Auggie stayed for an appropriate amount of time in case Joan had someone watching the house. Annie showed him around the small guest house and introduced her cat, Rosetta, who was sleeping unawares on the bench seat by the window. The cat didn't even flinch when Auggie stroked her soft fur.

After Auggie had left, Annie went down to the kitchen to say goodnight before heading to bed. Danielle seemed to have a different idea and she pulled out a tub of rocky road from the freezer and two spoons.

"You've had a long week. I figure you could use some ice cream before bed." Danielle said passing her a spoon. "And an opportunity to talk it out if you want."

"Thanks," Annie responded. She was always surprised at how supportive Danielle was. Even if she didn't know all the shit that Annie had to put up with, she could still tell when Annie was having a hard time. "It was a long week, with a lot of paperwork and a lot of red tape, but I got what I went for." She said, hoping that Danielle wouldn't ask too many details about her cover. She didn't want to have to explain what kind of red tape could get in the way.

"And what about your boss sending you paper work for tomorrow? You just got back. Couldn't you just have a little time to yourself to unwind?" There it was, just as Annie had expected. Danielle found it odd that Museums couldn't wait one more day for something.

"Well at least my boss didn't bring the paperwork here herself." Annie said. She gave a shudder at the thought of Joan coming over to her house.

"She certainly sent a friendly face." Danielle said, arching her eyebrow at Annie in implication. Annie tried not to react too much; the last thing she wanted was to let her sister know what was going on. Danielle couldn't possibly understand.

"Yeah," she said non-commitally, "he's okay." She didn't want to downplay too much though so she followed up with a bit of the truth. "We're good friends. He's great to work with." She relaxed when her sister nodded. She didn't suspect a thing. Danielle did seem to get the hint though, that Annie didn't want to talk about work.

"That reminds me, what ever happened with that Jai guy that you brought over for the barbeque? He seemed really nice." Little did she know, that Jai was just another piece in the puzzle?

"Oh. He wasn't who I thought he was." She said, sort of telling the truth again.

"Well then we'll have to see if we can find someone else, won't we?" She said happily, ready as always to set Annie up with someone.

Annie scoffed. "Of course." Annie said. She loved her sister and she wanted to tell her everything, but to talk about Ben would be to talk about her job. Danielle set her up with guys because she didn't know any better. Annie understood that she did it out of love.

She thanked Danielle for the ice cream and the talk but apologized that she was much more tiered than she had thought and that she had to get those paperwork finished before bed.

* * *

Walking into the bullpen, Annie felt like a fish in a bowl, without any of those plastic castles to hide in. Those who didn't see her right away were tapped on the shoulder and looked up from their work. She strode through the room confidently walking towards Joan's office. If they were expecting her to be an emotional wreck, she would prove them all wrong.

As she passed by tech ops, Auggie looked in her direction and smiled reassuringly. She still hadn't figured out how he always knew it was her. She would have to drop in and see him when she was done; that is if she still worked for the CIA.

Joan's office door was closed, so she had to knock. She knew she should feel like a child going to see the principal, but she didn't. She let anger and betrayal feed her confidence and bolstered herself with the knowledge that Joan, Arthur, and Jai had used her to draw Ben in. Jai had gotten close to her for the purpose of getting to Ben. Well they had gotten their wishes. They had gotten to Ben, and now he was dead.

A muffled "Come in." came from behind the door and Annie steeled herself before walking in...


End file.
